48 
JOURN'AL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
January  IS,  1903. 
Roseries. 
To  display  their  beauties  to  the  greatest  advantage  the 
garden  for  Roses  should  be  planned  in  avenues  and  groups.  The 
plants  in  a  rosery  should  cover  the  ground,  and  rise  in  masses 
of  bloom  from  June  until  the  winter  frost  to  a  height  of  at  least 
12ft.  This  can  be  accomplished  by  a  proper  selection  of  plants 
and  planting.  In  arranging  supports  for  the  Roses  it  is  better, 
generally,  to  plant  small  growing  trees  that  have  not  trouble¬ 
some  roots,  such  as  Silver  Bii’ch  and  Lombardy  Poplar.  Beau¬ 
tiful  pillars  and  arches  can  be  formed  from  these  so  as  to  har¬ 
monise  with  natural  scenery.  Of  course,  wood  and  iron  supports 
can  occasionally  be  used  to  advantage,  but  a  Rose  garden  should 
always  fill  our  souls  with  its  gracefulness. 
Roses  for  California. 
Now'  that  the  planting  season  approaches,  writes  Ernest 
Braunton  in  a  California  exchange,  many  are  inquiring  about  the 
best  .sorts  of  Ro.se.s  for  California.  The  demands  of  several  natural 
divisions  of  this  State  are  not  exactly  the  same.  In  the  southern 
portion  we  cannot  grow  all  the  Roses  knowm  to  the  people  of 
other  portions  of  the  Enited  States,  but  in  the  northern  third  of 
the  State,  and  particularly  in  the  central  portion,  the  Eastern 
sort^  can  be  cultivated.  The  most  useful  list  for  our  readers, 
then,  is  a  li.st  which  will  flourish  almost  everywhere,  and  such  a 
list,  of  course,  will  do  nicely  for  the  most  southern  parts.  In 
bush  Roses;  Marie  A’an  Houtte,  Madame  Lambard,  Papa  Gontier, 
Kaiserin  Augusta  Victoria,  Laurette,  Catherine  Mermet,  Maman 
Cochet,  the  Bride,  Caroline  Testout,  Eliza  Sauvage,  Meteor, 
Perle  des  Jardins,  Pauline,  Liberty,  Bielle  Siebrecht.  For 
climbers:  Climibing  Augusta  Victoria,  Climbing  Souvenir  de 
Wootton,  Lamarque,  Reve  d’Or,  Marechal  Niel,  Gloire  de  Dijon, 
Reine  Marie  Henriette. 
Rose  Growing  in  Hawaii. 
Donald  MacIntyre,  superintendent  of  Moanaula  Gardens,  at 
Honolulu,  Haw'aii,  writes  that  he  has  been  cultivating  Roses  under 
glass  for  four  year.s  with  quite  satisfactory  results.  Mr.  Mac¬ 
Intyre  says: — “The  flow'ers  are  finer  in  texture,  larger  in  size 
and  better  coloured  than  those  growing  out  of  doors.  In  a 
properly  constructed  glass  house  during  the  greater  part  of  the 
day  the  temperature  is  lower  than  out  of  doors.  The  atmosphere 
can  be  controlled,  the  plants  pi’otected  from  wind  and  rain  storms, 
and  are  beyond  the  reach  of  the  Japanese  beetle.  It  is  a  w'ell- 
known  fact,  however,  that  Roses  (Teas,  not  Hybrid  Perpetuals) 
could  be  well  grown  out  of  doors  in  the  Hawaiian  islands  w'ere  it 
not  for  the  ravages  of  what  is  known  as  the  Japanese  beetle,  a 
species  of  chelolanthe,  Avhich  will  completely  strip  large  Rose 
bushes  in  tw'o  or  three  nights,  and  w'ill  stand  by  to  take  the  young 
leaves  as  they  appear.”  Mr.  MacIntyre  further  says  that  his 
Rose  house  is  beetle  proof,  the  Roses  are  grown  in  pots  and  do 
well.  La  France  being  one  of  the  leading  varieties  grown. — 
(“American  Florist.”) 
- - - 
Making  an  Alpine  Garden. 
( Concluded  from  Darje  27.) 
Those  who  have  studied  the  flora  of  the  Alps  know  that  there 
is  a  difference  between  the  plants  of  the  granite  ranges  of  the 
Mont  Blanc  area  and  the  limestone  rocks  of  the  Jura  mountains. 
Also  that  the  clay  slates  of  part  of  the  Oberland,  Switzerland,  area 
are  favourable  to  other  form.s.  It  has  often  been  argued  that 
soil  is  of  little  or  no  importance  provided  it  is  good ;  but  I  main¬ 
tain  that  although  plants  will  grow'  in  a  made-up  gardeners’ 
mixture,  they  Avill  in  many  cases  never  really  thrive  unless  some 
attention  be  given  to  their  real  requirements.  The  soil  formed  by 
the  decomposition  of  gi-anite  rock.s  can  easily  be  represented  by 
good  loam  mingled  with  very  coarse  silica  in  the  form  of  cnished 
flint  or  quartz,  Avhilst  a  lime.stone  soil  can  be  made  up  by  mixing 
ordinary  garden  mould  Avith  25  per  cent,  or  more  of  old  mortar 
or  chalk  rubble,  adding  a  little  sandy  loam  as  required.  Smashed 
up  slate  AA'ith  loam  and  ordinary  garden  mould  is  also  good  for 
many  plants  Avhich  do  not  like  limestone.  Leaf  mould  I  do  not 
consider  a  natural  soil,  for  the  simple  reason  that  as  trees  do 
not  groAv  .so  high  up  as  the  Alpine  iilants  there  cannot  be  leaf 
mould. 
Talking  of  leaves,  never  throAv  dead  leaves  over  Alpine  plants ; 
they  don't  get  them  at  home,  they  don’t  Avant  protection  of  any 
kind,  and  anything  that  tends  to  collect  the  damp  in  their  croAV'ns 
rots  them  at  once,  and  then  they  die.  I  have  tried  a  series  of 
experiments  as  to  soils,  and  I  find  it  may  be  taken  for  granted 
that  if  the  fibres  of  the  roots  take  hold  ”  of  any  particular 
material  the  plant  is  suited,  but  if  the  root  comes  aAA'ay  Avithout 
any  contact  Avith  the  soil  there  is  something  Avrong.  Never  let 
the  soil  be  fine  in  texture,  but  use  plenty  of  small  pieces  of  any 
kind  of  porous  rock — ^^.smashed  brick  and  even  Avell  Avashed  cinders 
Avill  do  if  nothing  better  can  be  got;'but  sand,  except  for  ventila¬ 
tion,  is  absolutely  useless.  Ashes  contain  potash  and  are  good 
if  the  sulphurous  poison  be  AA’ell  AA'a.shed  out. 
Returning  to  our  rock  gardens,  Ave  noAv  see  that  it  has  at  least 
tAvo  great  advantages.  Being  arranged  in  a  series  of  ledges  and 
pockets,  Ave  can  have  a  variety  of  soils  to  suit  plants  from  many 
ditferent  localities,  and  being  made  up  of  poor  soil,  Ave  can  by 
adding,  or  replacing  by  our  various  made  soils  obtain  the  desired 
conditions  in  a  very  simple  AA'ay.  Having  prepared  the  soil,  Ave 
AA'ill  noAV  proceed  to 
The  Planting 
It  is  often  urged  that  in  planting  the  plant  should  be  firmly 
pressed  into  the  ground  by  the  hand,  and  I  believe  that  in  plant¬ 
ing  trees  jumping  on  the  roots  and  even  ramming  is  sometimes 
advocated.  I  do  not  think  that  those  aa’Iio  follow  this  drastic 
method  ever  examined  the  roots  of  a  plant  by  the  microscope, 
or  they  Avould  see  Avhat  a  delicate  organism  a  root  is.  Besides, 
AV'hat  force  exists  in  Nature  corresponding  to  the  hand  pressure 
or  the  heel  of  a  heavy  boot  ?  Thomsands  of  transplanted  plants 
die  every  year,  and  I  believe  the  reason  is  this.  When  earth  is 
pressed  doAvn  thousands  of  very  minute  air  cavities  are  enclosed 
near  and  around  the  root  fibres.  These  confined  spaces  naturally 
set  up  fungoid  gi'OAvth  and  decomposition,  Avhich  either  kills  the 
plant,  if  Aveakly,  or  retards  its  groArth,  if  strong. 
The  proper  and  natural  AA  ay  to  plant  is  to  make  a  hole  for  the 
roots,  draAV  the  loo.sened  soil  lightly  around,  and  then  thoroughly 
soak  AA'ith  Avater ;  this  carries  the  earth  gently  and  closely  round 
the  root  fibres,  and  expels  eA'ery  atom  of  air,  I  ahvays  plant  by 
the  Avater  method,  and  I  seldom  lose  a  plant,  shrub  or  tree.  As 
the  earth  settles  doAvn  add  more,  and  then  Avater  as  before.  §oil 
thus  treated  becomes  quite  as  firm  as  if  jumped  upon,  and  far 
more  natural  and  healthy.  Water  is  Nature’s  chief  agent,  and 
Nature  is  our  only  master  in  all  kinds  of  agricultural  and  horti¬ 
cultural  AA'ork. 
The  iDOsition  for  Alpine  plants  in  our  rock  garden  is  soon 
found  out  by  experience.  When  in  the  mountains  I  observed 
that  the  Mossy  Saxifrages,  and  a  goodly  number  of  other  plants 
of  rather  delicate  foliage,  Avere  found  upon  the  northern  and 
eastern,  being  the  shady  slopes  of  the  hills;  w'hilst  the  encrusteel 
Sa*jdfrages,  the  Sedums,  Sempervivums,  and  many  hard  leafed 
forms  Avere  u.sually  found  upon  the  sunny,  or  southern  and  south- 
Avestern  slopes.  It  is  a  great  mistake  to  suppose  that  Alpine 
plants  groAV  on  rock  simply  ;  they  certainly  like  to  have  their 
foliage  and  floAvers  resting  upon  a  rocky  surface,  Avliich  is  often 
so  hot  in  the  .sun’s  rays  that  the  hand  cannot  touch  it,  but  the 
roots  of  the  plant  are  invariably  deep  doAvn  in  a  cool  chink,  full  of 
rich  mountain  soil,  and  Avet  AA'ith  the  melting  snoAv  and  ice  from 
the  great  glacier  above.  We  cannot  hope  to  folloAv  Nature  in  her 
grand  mountain  home,  but  Ave  can  do  a  little  to  make  these  Alpine 
gems  feel  happy. 
In  Our  rock  garden  the  roots  of  the  plants  find  protection 
under  the  stones.  Most  of  them  should  be  placed  close  to  a 
block  of  .stone.  Drabas,  Ramondias,  and  Sempervivnms  thrive  in 
A'ertical  creAuces ;  Avhilst  many  of  the  free  groAAung  Sedums, 
Veronica  rupestris,  and  the  Alpine  Phloxes  are  very  useful  in 
covering  dry  and  sterile  slopes  in  a  garden.  Small  Coniferous 
trees  dotted  over  a  rock  garden  add  greatly  to  its  beauty  and 
natural  appearance,  ahvays  bearing  in  mind  that  proportion  is 
everything  in  a  garden. 
A  charming  rockerj^  of  all  the  tiny  forms  of  plants  can  be  con¬ 
structed  even  upon  a  AvindoAV  ledge,  and  is  far  more  beautiful 
and  intere.sting  than  the  coiwentional  AvindoAV  box.  The  rock 
garden  now  being  stocked,  AA^e  have  only  to 
Label  the  Specimens, 
and  I  Avould  prefer  that  a  type  collection  be  kept  labelled  in  some 
other  part  of  the  garden  rather  than  spoil  a  pretty  bit  of  Nature 
by  a  host  of  miniature  “  gravestones.”  Of  course,  botanical 
names  are  most  important,  as  indeed  they  are  most  useful,  for  do 
they  not  describe  the  plant  itself?  What  can  be  more  graphic 
or  descripth'e  than  the  names  Saxifraga  longiflora  or  Semper- 
vivum  arachnoideum  ? 
In  conclusion,  I  Avould  strongly  urge  all  AA'ho  possess  flat  and 
uninteresting  gardens  to  build  an  Alpine  rockAvork,  and  groAV 
these  pretty  mountain  plants.  They  are  pretty  all  the  year 
round ;  they  are  the  first  of  all  the  spring  floAvers  to  bloom,  and 
they  la.st  in  floAver  much  longer  than  most  otheP  plants.  They 
.seem  to  breathe  the  pure  air  of  the  mountains,  and  ahvays  suggest 
the  majestic  regions  of  snoAV  and  ice,  of  glaciers  and  mountain 
torrents.  They  respond  to  kind  treatment,  and  seem  almost 
grateful  for  any  attention  Avhich  brings  to  them  the  conditions 
of  their  mountain  home.  It  has  been  said  that  a  man  Avho  makes 
two  blades  of  grass  grow  Avhere  only  one  grew  before  is  doing 
good  ;  and  I  also  venture  to  think  that  in  beautifying  our  gardens 
Ave  are  doing  something  toAvards  improving  the  AVorld  in  Avhich 
Ave  live,  and  in  AA'hich  it  is  our  duty  to  till  the  ground. 
